Title
My Place, Your Place
Summary /
overview
In this collaboration activity, partner school students share the physical and emotional experience of ‘their place’ (school or neighbourhood) and
compare this with their partner’s place. This is a useful project to follow the Getting Started Project.
Theme(s)
Culture / everyday life / school
Objective(s)
Through this collaboration activity, partner schools and students will:
1. Work together to decide how to effectively share the experience of ‘our place’ with their partner school
2. Use appropriate speaking, listening, reading and writing skills to communicate effectively across cultures, showing cultural sensitivity in their
exchanges
3. Further develop their understanding of the similarities and differences in everyday life in Indonesia and Australia
Organisational Details
Languages
English / Bahasa Indonesia
Subject
Area(s)
Duration
English (Writing, Speaking, Reading); Languages (English, Bahasa Indonesia); Studies of Society and the Environment (History and Geography)
8 weeks
Project Description
Week
Week
1
Focus
Activity(ies) description
ICT / non ICT tools to
support the collaboration
Resources
Useful links
Hints
Where are we?
What makes our
place special?
In Week 1, your students will:

Develop a visual understanding of where their
partner school is located by using world maps
or online searches

Begin to explore how they imagine their
partner school to look like

Depict what being at their own school is like in
a ‘production’ to be shared with their partner
school
ICT Options:

Google Earth,
other map tools
or world map
Venn diagram
http://www.globale
ducation.edna.edu
.au/globaled/go/pi
d/1833
Many graphic
organiser sites are
available e.g.
http://www.sdcoe.k1
2.ca.us/score/actba
nk/torganiz.htm
In your school
‘production’, you
could include:

Drawn map of
school

Timetable

Photos of
people and
places

Interviews
with students,
parents, staff

Writing or
drawing
about special
school events
How to begin?
Begin by asking your students to think about how
the schools might be similar or different because of
where they are?
Use a Venn diagram or list on the board (a link to
an online example of Venn diagrams is available in
the Resources section).
Non ICT Option:

A Venn diagram
can be drawn on
the board
Think, Pair, Share
http://olc.spsd.sk.c
a/DE/PD/instr/stra
ts/think/
Discuss with your students
Discuss what your students would like to know
about their partner school and post questions to
this effect in the Wikispace.
Discuss: A school is more than just buildings. The
people, activities and special experiences are also
important in understanding what it is like to be
‘here’.
You can use a strategy like ‘Think, Pair, Share’,
and ask your students to consider what should be
included in our productions (See hints).
Page 2 of 9
Week
Week
2
Focus
Activity(ies) description
ICT / non ICT tools to
support the collaboration
Resources
Useful links
Hints
What? How?
Who?…
The production
for your partner
school
In Week 2, your students will:

Decide upon the ‘product’ they will share with
their partner school and the type of media they
will use to depict your school
ICT Options:

Digital cameras
(video or still) to
create a digital
photo album (like
using Flickr)

Sound recording

Audacity to edit
sound files

PowerPoint,
PhotoStory or
other software

Scanner.
Storyboard sheet
for planning
http://www.sdcoe.k1
2.ca.us/score/actba
nk/tboard.htm
OR
http://www.csupomo
na.edu/~wcweber/3
25/storybd.htm OR
http://www.jasonohl
er.com/pdfs/digitalS
torytellingStoryBoar
d.pdf
You might like to
look at some
school websites to
see what is
featured
Other ideas:

Write
pamphlets

Video

Audio

Web page

Sending
items such as
school
uniform or
school bag

assembling a
package of
schoolrelated
objects like
school map,
magazine,
newsletter
and student
diary)
Begin by asking your students
What will we make to share with our partner
school?
Brainstorm on the board and list what your
students might create.
For example:

individual writing and drawing

using photos with captions

using digital photos in a PowerPoint

create a digital album with or without sound, or

make a PhotoStory with sound and text (can
be in English and Bahasa Indonesia).
What do we do next?
Then, support your students to plan what they will
do:

They can write up an action plan or storyboard
their ideas

The SMT and you as teacher should check
their plans before they start work
Non-ICT Options:

Drawing and
writing about the
school
The process is the
same no matter
what product is
intended.
If you have
established a
Student
Management
Team (SMT), this
group may help
decide what will
be made.
Students could
work
independently or
in groups on a
range of tasks.
Page 3 of 9
Week
Week
3
Focus
Activity(ies) description
ICT / non ICT tools to
support the collaboration
Filming, Writing,
Recording and
Chatting
In week 3, your students will begin working on their
projects.
ICT Options:

Digital cameras
(video or still) to
create a digital
photo album (like
using Flickr)

Sound recording

Audacity to edit
sound files

PowerPoint,
PhotoStory or other
software

Scanner
What needs to be done
When you are working with your students, make
sure:

They are shown how to include simple surveys
in the Wikispace to find out more about their
partner class as a whole e.g.
o How do you travel to school?
o What is your favourite subject?

You discuss with them the difference between
open and closed questioning

You encourage them to post their answers to
multiple surveys
Resources
Useful links
Hints
There are many sites
for creating graphs if
needed e.g.
http://nces.ed.gov/nce
skids/CreateAGraph/
default.aspx
You may teach
some students to
create surveys and
have them help
others.
For surveys, try to use
the ICT sharing tools to
which you have access:
Wikispace, SMS, email,
‘snail mail’ and
telephone.
Page 4 of 9
Week
Week
4
Focus
Activity(ies) description
ICT / non ICT tools to
support the collaboration
Filming, Writing,
Recording and
Chatting
In week 4, your students will:

Focus on making sharing product/s.

Discuss survey results
ICT Options:

Digital cameras
(video or still) to
create a digital
photo album (like
using Flickr)

Sound recording

Audacity to edit
sound files

PowerPoint,
PhotoStory or other
software

Scanner
What needs to be covered in the discussion
As one of the aims of the BRIDGE Project is to
help partner schools develop strong relationships
and gain cultural understanding, it’s important to
provide time and space for your students to reflect
on the similarities and differences across the two
partner schools.
Focus your discussions on:
o Are there any similarities or differences?
o Any surprises?
You might get your students to post their reflections
on the Wikispace.
Resources
Useful links
Hints
Consider making bilingual
products by using audio
files and sub-titles or labels
or captions in both
languages if appropriate.
Teacher and SMT review
progress and provide
support for any students
having problems.
For surveys try to use
the ICT sharing tools to
which you have access:
Wikispace, SMS, email,
‘snail mail’ and
telephone.
Page 5 of 9
Week
Week
5
Focus
Activity(ies) description
ICT / non ICT tools to
support the collaboration
Editing and
compiling.
Reviewing.
Digging deeper.
In week 5, your students will:

Create their product and review it critically.
Any edits, additions and alterations are made
at this time.
ICT Options:

Digitally recorded,
edited with
Audacity, then
uploaded to
Wikispace or
posted to partners
on CD-ROM

Sent and answered
as text messages
Dive more deeply into the issues
Encourage your students to reflect more deeply
and on a more personal level by:

Asking them to think of more personal
questions to discuss in the Wikispace e.g.
o What are the most important things
people learn at school? Why?
o What makes my school special? Why?
o What have been the highlights of my time
at this school?

Encouraging them to both post their ideas and
respond to others’ ideas at least once a week
Resources
Useful links
Hints
Post each discussion
question on a new page
in the Wikispace. This will
keep student postings on
the topic in one place.
Make sure your students
apply Netiquette rules in
their communications.
Non-ICT Options:

Answered in writing
Page 6 of 9
Week
Week
6
Focus
Activity(ies) description
ICT / non ICT tools to
support the collaboration
Reviewing
In week 6, your students will:

Share their productions with the whole class
ICT Options:

Upload to the
Wikispace

Burn onto a DVD or
CD-ROM
How well have their questions been answered?
Explore with your students:

How well they have answered the questions
our partners asked about our school (at the
beginning and in the Wikispace)

Whether or not they need to decide if they
want to change (delete or add) anything?
Resources
Useful links
Hints
Depending on products, the
sharing could be through the
Wikispace or by snail mail or
a combination of both.
Non ICT Option:

Snail mail
What’s next?
Your students need to send off the information and
identify any gaps in knowledge:

They need to send it off …. and tell their
partners that it is coming! (See hints)

Review the initial ideas about their partner
school

Decide if there is anything else to ask their
partner students
Page 7 of 9
Week
Week
7
Focus
Activity(ies) description
ICT / non ICT tools to
support the collaboration
While we are
waiting … just
for fun
In week 7, your students will:

Be asked to envisage their ‘ultimate’ school:
What would the school look like?
Completely open
How can we communicate?
Your students can use any medium they choose.

Ask them to communicate their ideas through:
o Writing
o Drawing
o Discussion
o Photographs
o Performing
o Creating a documentary
o Making a web page
The focus will be on succinct messages and a
sense of fun!
ICT Option:

You may need a
scanner for artwork
Resources
Useful links
Hints
This activity could be
dropped if you are
making a more timeconsuming product such
as digital video.
Sharing on the Wikispace
Encourage your students to share these brief
productions through the Wikispace or in the gallery.
They can create an online discussion that targets
the following ideas:

How different or similar are the ideas?

How creative are they?

Are there cultural differences between
Indonesian and Australian students? Why or
why not?
Page 8 of 9
Week
Week
8
Focus
Activity(ies) description
ICT / non ICT tools to
support the collaboration
Comparing
In week 8, your students will:

View the partner school sharing

Discuss the differences and the similarities of
going to school in Australia and Indonesia and
why?
Continue to use the
shared Wikispace for
communicating and
posting reflections.
Resources
Useful links
Hints
Provide feedback in
culturally appropriate
ways.
What do they need to communicate?
This week, your students need to provide some
feedback to their partners on what they liked about
their presentation and the conclusions that they
have drawn.
They also need to:

Find out what their partners thought of their
productions and what ideas they have

Discuss how they might share these new
learnings with the school community

Be encouraged to reflect on their work:
o Any difficulties in communicating online?
o Across cultures?
o Working together?
Outcomes/
Outputs


The students will develop a product to capture a key event / place / person or activity that is meaningful to them in their local community. This product can be
digital or non-ICT based. It could be a: pamphlet, digital story, image gallery, web page etc
The Wikispace will be used as a central point for posting and feeding back on information and will provide a snapshot of the project progress
Page 9 of 9